Adichie’s Son’s Death: Court Dismisses Euracare’s Challenge to Coroner’s Inquest
The Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikoyi has rejected an application by Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital seeking to stop a coroner’s inquest into the death of Nkanu Esege, the 21-month-old son of renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Justice Aishat Opesanwo delivered the ruling on Monday, holding that the cremation of the toddler’s body did not automatically prevent an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
Eurapharma Care Services Nigeria Limited, operators of Euracare Hospital, had asked the court to halt the inquest, arguing that cremation had made a post-mortem examination impossible and deprived the coroner of the jurisdiction to proceed.
The hospital also challenged the procedure for receiving statements and evidence from medical personnel and other parties connected to the facilities where Nkanu received treatment before his death.
Nkanu died on January 7, 2026, following medical procedures, prompting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
In her ruling, Justice Opesanwo stated that conducting an inquest was a statutory obligation when the circumstances of a death met the conditions prescribed by law. She held that the hospital had failed to establish that the coroner lacked the authority to proceed under Section 15 of the Lagos State Coroners System Law, 2007.
The judge also rejected the argument that the absence of the body would necessarily make the inquiry speculative, noting that the law did not require the deceased’s body to remain within the coroner’s district during the proceedings.
She emphasised that a coroner’s inquest was a fact-finding exercise designed to establish who died and how, when and where the death occurred, rather than a criminal trial to determine guilt.
The court upheld the respondents’ preliminary objections and struck out the hospital’s application, clearing the way for the inquest to proceed.
